Alert archive / Georgia / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1988

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 67, NWS Atlanta, GA

May 17, 1988Habersham County, Georgia

NWS Atlanta, GA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1988, 12:48 PM EDT for Habersham County, Georgia. It was in force for 57 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: May 17, 1988, 12:48 PM EDT (16:48 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 1988, 1:45 PM EDT
In force: 57 min
Issued by: NWS Atlanta, GA
Area: Whole counties

County Habersham County, GA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 324 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1441 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 104 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KAHN 171648
SVRAHN
GAC137-171745-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA
1248 PM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 145 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF GEORGIA
      HABERSHAM

AT 1245 RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH OF
CORNELIA GEORGIA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST 40 MPH.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH..DESTRUCTIVE HAIL..DEADLY LIGHTNING..AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY GRAINS FLOOD ROADWAYS QUICKLY..
AVOID DRIVING INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 17, 6:50 AM EDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATLANTA GA
650 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAS DEVELOPED IN WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA.

AS DAWN APPEARED IN GEORGIA...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED
JUST SOUTHEAST OF NEWNAN IN COWETA COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM
WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING ACROSS
SOUTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY BETWEEN 7 AND 8 AM.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SCATTERED ACROSS
GEORGIA TODAY. SOME OF THESE WILL BE VERY STRONG AND PRODUCE
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THERE WERE TWO WEATHER RELATED FATALITES IN GEORGIA YESTERDAY.
A GOLFER WAS KILLED BY LIGHTING IN ATHENS AND A CONSTRUCTION
WORKER WAS KILLED WHEN A BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION COLLAPSED
DURING A THUNDERSTORM IN DEKALB COUNTY.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE URGES ANYONE WORKING OR RECREATING
OUTDOORS TODAY TO BE WEATHER ALERT AND TAKE COVER IF A THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPS IN YOUR AREA.

Local storm report, May 17, 7:07 AM EDT, 5 hours 41 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 7AM TUE MAY 17, 1988

COUNTY........ ELBERT COUNTY GEORGIA

SOURCE........ RADIO STATION WSGC

TIME.......... 330 PM EDT MAY 16

LOCATION...... NORTHWEST PART OF ELBERT CO.

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... PEA SIZE

DAMAGE........ VERY STRONG WINDS WITH SOME LIMB DAMAGE

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM

COUNTY........ OGLETHORPE AND GREENE

SOURCE........ JACKSON POWER CO.

TIME.......... 415 PM EDT MAY 16

LOCATION...... ON HIGHWAY 77 SOUTHERN PART OF OGLETHORPE AND
               NORTHERN PART OF GREENE COUNTIES

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSORM

HAIL.......... NICKLE SIZE

DAMAGE........ NO REPORTED

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING ...... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM

Local storm report, May 17, 8:18 AM EDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before

LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ATHENS GA 815AM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

COUNTY........ NEWTON AND BUTTS

SOURCE........ CENTERAL GA ELEC COOP MEMBERSHIP

TIME.......... 330 PM EDT MON MAY 16

LOCATION...... SOUTHERN PART OF NEWTON AND NORTHERN PART OF BUTTS

TYPE STORM.... THUNDERSTORM

HAIL.......... PEA TO MARBLE SIZE

DAMAGE........ SEVERAL POWER OUTAGES TO TO LIMBS ON LINES

INJURIES...... NONE

WARNING....... SEVERE THUNDERS-TORM

Local storm report, May 17, 9:18 AM EDT, 3 hours 30 minutes before

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
915 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988

...DELAYED STORM REPORTS...
REF STORM ACTIVITY OF MONDAY MAY 16 1988

.COUNTY...SUMTER CO GEORGIA
.TYPE STORM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
.TIME...ABOUT 730 PM EDT.
.LOCATION...LAKE BLACKSHEAR AREA OF EASTERN SUMTER COUNTY.
.DAMAGE...MANY PINE AND OAK TREES BLOWN DOWN..NEAR 200 RESIDENTS
          WITHOUT POWER FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.
.WIND...VERY STRONG ESTIMATED GREATER THAN 50 MPH.
.HAIL...SIZE OF QUARTERS.
.SOURCE...GEORGIA POWER EMPLOYEE IN AMERICUS WHO LIVES IN
          LAKE BLACKSHEAR AREA.
.INJURIES..NONE KNOWN.
.WATCHES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 136.
.WARNINGS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 708 UNTIL 745 PM EDT.
.HAIL... 3/4 OF AN INCH.
.WATCHES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 122.
.WARNINGS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FROM 621 UNTIL 715 PM EDT.
.SOURCE...BAKER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

.COUNTY...COLQUITT
.TYPE STORM...TORNADO.
.TIME...725 PM EDT
.LOCATION...TOWN OF FUNSTON GEORGIA ABOUT 6 MILES WEST OF MOULTRIE.
.DAMAGE...6 TO 8 TREES UPROOTED OR DOWNED...SOME BLOCKING ROADS.
          ONE MOBILE HOME MOVED OFF OF FOUNDATION.
          SEVERAL POWER LINES DOWN...GENERAL POWER OUTAGES THROUGHOUT
          CENTRAL PART OF COLQUITT COUNTY INCLUDING CITY OF MOULTRIE.
.HAIL...SIZE UNKNOWN BUT CONSIDERABLE CROP DAMAGE FUNSTON AREA.
.INJURIES...NONE
.WATCHES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NUMBER 122 AND 126.
.WARNING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 721 TO 800 PM EDT...SUPERCEDED BY
          TORNADO WARNING 725 TO 800 PM EDT.
.SOURCE...COLQUITT EMA...COLQUITT SHERIFFS OFFICE...WALB-TV ALBANY GA
.COMMENTS...TORNADO WARNING BASED UPON SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTS
          AND ONE REPORT OF TORNADO TOUCHING GROUND.c  INFO FROM GENERAL
          PUBLIC.

Local storm report, May 17, 9:26 AM EDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBUS GA
915 AM EDT TUE MAY 17 1988 CORRECTION
                                     ONE REPORT ONLY
...DELAYED STORM REPORTS...
REF STORM ACTIVITY OF MONDAY MAY 16 1988

.COUNTY...SUMTER CO GEORGIA
.TYPE STORM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
.TIME...ABOUT 730 PM EDT.
.LOCATION...LAKE BLACKSHEAR AREA OF EASTERN SUMTER COUNTY.
.DAMAGE...MANY PINE AND OAK TREES BLOWN DOWN..NEAR 200 RESIDENTS
          WITHOUT POWER FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.
.WIND...VERY STRONG ESTIMATED GREATER THAN 50 MPH.
.HAIL...SIZE OF QUARTERS.
.SOURCE...GEORGIA POWER EMPLOYEE IN AMERICUS WHO LIVES IN
          LAKE BLACKSHEAR AREA.
.INJURIES..NONE KNOWN.
.WATCHES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER q136.
.WARNINGS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 708 UNTIL 745 PM EDT.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Atlanta, GA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 17, 1:19 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Burke, Emanuel, Jefferson	56 min
May 17, 2:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FFC	Screven	45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Georgia, 1988 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1988

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.